With or Without You
by SashaSmoke
Summary: A dark secret is revealed, changing young Cassandra Winchester, daughter of the Slayer and the Hunter, in every way imaginable. The question is: what kind of change is it?
1. Prologue

Bouncing up and down on the balls of my feet, I could barely hold in my excitement. Today was the day: I was going on my first hunt! The only birthday present I've wanted since I was eight. "Come on, guys!" I called impatiently from the living room; what was taking them so long? Looking flustered, my parents emerged from the bathroom, cheeks flushed.

I cocked my head to the side. "Hey Daddy, why are you wearing Mom's lipstick?" His eyes bugged out wide, quickly wiping the coral cosmetic from his face. Mom's eyes glinted with laughter, and something I couldn't put my finger on...

"Can we go now?" I begged, the moment already erased from my mind. "What if it's already taken care of by the time we get there!" My parents burst out laughing, the sound bouncing off the walls.

"What's so funny?" I demanded, hands on hips. After a few gasps, my dad wheezed out.

"Y-ou think that after 5 hours, it-it'll be already t-taken care of?" He chuckled, wiping his eyes. "Oh, I wish." He sighed, a far away look in his eyes.

"Don't worry, honey, that ghost isn't going anywhere. We'll be there with time to spare." She brought me into a tight hug. Hissing in pain, I pulled away. I'd forgotten my .45 tucked in the back of my shorts.

"What was that?" She demanded, mirroring my look with her hands on her hips. Uh-oh. Sheepishly, I brought out my gun. "Seriously? You keep it tucked into your shorts? You really are your father's daughter." I knew Mom didn't like guns, but she'd never told me why.

I beamed, giving Dad a silly grin. "Alright princess, let's do the rundown. What's rule number one?"

"No dying." I recited. "Rule number two is no dumb-ass heroics." Mom shot Dad a fierce look.

"Sweety, where did you hear that word?" I frowned, did I say something wrong?

"Daddy said it. Is it bad?" She shook her head, but I had a feeling that Daddy was gonna pay for it later. "Anyway, rule number three is always follow Mom's lead because she's always right."

Snorting, Dad muttered quietly "Now who's influencing her." Using her Slayer hearing, Mom gave Daddy a snooty look.

"Well, it's true. Now, grab you duffle and lead the way." I squealed, snatching the bag from the corner. My first hunt here I come!

Yanking the door open, I scampered down the steps, only to stop at what I saw. "Mom!" I called from our front porch. My eyes remained on the stranger in front of me. He was in his late fifties with balding hair and a mushroom top. He looked pretty harmless in his black suit, but I knew from what Daddy told me that looks could be deceiving.

He watched me from the yard, a slight smile on his face. I decided I didn't like him. "Daddy! Mom! Hurry!" I cried out as he stepped closer. I reached behind me, slowly pulling my .45 from its hiding place tucked in my shorts, hands shaking. Would I have to use it? Was this man a demon? Sweat made my gun dangerously slippery in my grip.

The sound of thumping footsteps eased me. I'd be safe as long as my parents were here. They were an unstoppable team. "Princess, what is it-" My dad started before the man caught his attention.

"Dean Winchester." The old man greeted. He made his name sound like a disease. His gaze slid to my mother, who was inching towards the sword hidden behind a post on our front porch. "Buffy Winchester." Finally, he looked at me. "Cassandra Mary Winchester."

My dad scowled. "Zachariah." He bit out. "What do you want?" How did Daddy know this man? His face was cold, I didn't like it like that. I wanted Mom to say something to make his smile again.

Zachariah's face slid into mock hurt. "Why only to celebrate of course! Young Cassandra here is turning ten today. That only happens once." I didn't like the way he was looking at me: like I was the prize stallion of the herd.

Apparently, Daddy didn't like it either. "Stay away from her." He growled. He got REALLY protective REALLY quickly when it came to our family. I picked up on his tone and carefully backing up to my parents, gun still in hand. My heart was beating was so loud, I was sure Buffy could hear it.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." His tone was light, like he was discussing what he had for dinner the night before. But his eyes were steely. I froze, my head snapping up to my dad. His face was as cold as stone.

"Are you threatening my family?" He asked quietly. I knew instantly that this Zachariah dude was in big trouble. When Daddy got quiet, he was dangerous. I looked over to my mom, waiting for her smart comment that was always ready when the 'big bad' started monologuing. Her green eyes flashed with fury, her face stern. She was terrifying. Is this what it was like to be on a hunt? Hard faces and scathing comments? I wasn't sure I liked seeing my parents so angry.

"Well Dean, your daughter is special." My heart skipped a beat. Special? "When she was a baby, I made a little pit stop by her cradle." My parents' faces grew pale. "I can imagine you know what's coming next judging by the looks on your faces" he said with a chuckle. "Much like what Azazel did to Sam, I dropped my angel blood into little Cassandra's mouth." This creep was an angel? But why were my parents so angry? Angels were good... right? I knew that they existed- I grew up with Cas being my baby-sitter (even though I didn't need one!) when my parents went on the occasional hunt. "And since she was the daughter of the Slayer, we were aware that she would have… different abilities. My blood simply enhanced it."

Frightened, I turned to my family. I knew bits and pieces of what happened to uncle Sammy. How he started exocizing demons with his mind, even though Daddy told him not to behind Daddy's back. That's all I knew, but those actions had led to Daddy disowning Sam. I'd never met him, but I knew Daddy missed him a lot. The way he talked about him -on rare occasions- he sounded nice, maybe a little confused.

"What kind of abilities?" I whispered through unmoving lips. Daddy looked at me, eyes wide with shock. I knew this must hurt him. I'd probably turn into a monster like uncle Sammy did. Zachariah simply smiled, content to leave my question unanswered. "Daddy, I'm scared." I breathed. I didn't want to be more of a freak than I already was.

I could disassemble a gun and then reassemble it in under a minute. I could shoot an arrow from a crossbow with deadly accuracy. I was a Hunter, and I loved it. But powers? The things my parents killed had those.

My shoulders shook uncontrollably. Mom's arms wrapped around my thin frame as she whispered softly "Don't worry, Cassie. Just because you might be special, doesn't mean it's a bad thing. Look at me for example, I can bend a steel beam in half, but that doesn't make me evil. It's the choices you make that define who you are." The shaking stopped; Mom always knew what to say. Besides, I could use them on my hunts!

"The point is, young Cassandra's powers weren't going to mature until she turned ten. Which is today." Shivers of both excitement and fear ran down my spine. What kind of powers did I have? Could I fly? Be strong and quick, like Mom? Become invisible? There were infinite possibilities, all of them exciting and new.

"Now that she's reached the right age, we'll take over from here." My heart dropped down to my bare feet. "You've done a phenomenal job of raising her; she's everything we were hoping for, and more. But it's time that she came with us."

"Mom" I said slowly, frightened of what the angel was telling me. In one swift motion, my parents swept me behind them.

"You're not taking her." Mom growled. "Not while I can stand." I smiled softly to myself. No way this angel would stand a chance against her.

"Thankfully for you, that won't be for much longer." Zachariah sneered.

"Cassie, go!" Daddy shouted as Mom struck out with a powerful round-house kick. Zachariah shrugged it off like she'd merely flicked him and lunged. I didn't see what happened next because I was sprinting through the house, searching for holy water.

Soon I was in the basement, surrounded by holy fire. I was grateful that I'd remembered that angels couldn't cross the holy flames. If Mom and Daddy would just get here, we'd all be okay.

A familiar sound of wings fluttering caught me attention. Dread flowed thickly through my veins poison, speeding up both my heart rate and breathing to a dizzying pace. I slowly turned, hands shaking.

Zachariah stood in the middle of the room, hands on his hips. A disapproving scowl creased his brow, like I was a naughty puppy that had run away. "That's not fair." He said petulantly, like a child. Footsteps echoed throughout the upstairs and soon my parents were on the other side of my safe circle. "But of course, I never play fair." He said with a sinister smile.

Before my eyes, my parents started to clutching their stomachs, coughing up blood. "No!" I screamed, starting to rush out of my the circle to my family, but Mom raised a shaking hand, blood still running down her chin.

"Come with me, or your family becomes a party of one." I shook my head. No way an angel would do this. Cas said that angels were good and looked after humans. My eyes widened with hope.

"Cas!" I yelled into the sky. "Cas please, come. I need you, my family needs you!" I waited desperately, but nothing happened.

"Castiel is currently being… detained." Zachariah said with an evil grin. The color drained from my face. Detained? "Now, are you coming, or not?" I shook my head again. Zachariah raised his hand, slowly curling it into a fist.

Daddy yelled in pain, doubling over. Mom rushed to him, only to do the same thing. Blood seeped in between my parents' fingers as they clutched their stomachs.

"No, please! Stop!" I shrieked, whipping my head between my dying parents and the twisted angel.

"Come out of the circle." Zachariah stated, eyes like ice. Tears streamed down my cheeks. If I didn't do something quick, my parents would die. This wasn't how my birthday was supposed to go. We were gonna get in the car, Daddy and I singing along to Highway to Hell while Mom whined. Then we'd go out for ice cream because I didn't like cake and I'd work on my first hunt with the people I loved the most. After, Mom and Daddy would go out and Cas would come and tell me stories of my parents fighting off hell gods, robot-men, and apocalypses. Then he'd tuck me in and sing me to sleep, his voice soft and perfect. I never told anyone about our little ritual. It was something special, something only he and I shared.

"No, don't Cassie." Daddy groaned, cradling Mom in his lap. Scarlet stained her lips, her chest... it was pooling around them. His eyes were closing- he was fading…

"Party of one, coming right up!" The angel cried out joyfully.

"Okay." I whispered. "I'll go." It was so quiet, like a sigh on a breeze, but Zachariah heard. Instantly, blood stopped flowing from my parents.

"No!" Daddy bellowed, trying to stand but he was still weak from blood loss. My mom slowly heaved herself up, pleading eyes yanking on my heart.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, tears running down my cheeks, making their shocked faces blurry. "I love you."

Mom shook her head slowly, eyes full of agony. "Cassie…" I closed my eyes and stepped out of the circle.

When I opened them again, my parents were gone.


	2. Thief In the Night

Here it is, chapter two. Didn't really take me that long to write (since it's so short) but I promise the next chapter is coming out soon! Don't forget to comment!

A girl sprinted through the woods, her breath ragged, pluming out in front of her in foggy spurts. When she was younger, she used to pretend she was a dragon. Those times were long gone.

All she carried was a black backpack; extra baggage slowed her down. Time was precious- time was the difference between freedom and capture.

Silently she crept towards the sleeping shack, feet soft even though crisp leaves blanketed the ground. She slipped through the screen door, carefully closing it behind her.

The sound of a low growl gave her pause. She rotated on her heel cautiously, not making any sudden movements. A large Rottweiler stood in front of her, teeth bared in a terrifying snarl. Drool dripped from its bared teeth onto the aluminum. It was a miracle it hadn't attacked or started barking.

With an ease that came only with agonizing practice, she reached out with her mind, sending soothing words towards the dog **'You are not afraid. You will go back to sleep without making a sound.'** As if a switch had been flipped, the dog relaxed and padded away. Without a second glance, the girl turned to her work.

Opening cupboards, she stuffed all sorts of granola bars and other fuel-giving food into her backpack. After rooting through the fridge, several water bottles joined them in the seemingly bottomless bag. She was quiet and efficient, showing her experience with stealing from sleeping innocents.

Just as she was about to leave, a cellphone and a set of keys caught her eye. Leaning forward, she snatched them off the table in a fluid motion. She wouldn't have to worry about the police tracking the phone, she'd have ditched it by morning.

She felt no guilt as she pulled out of the slumbering stranger's driveway. She hardly felt anything now-a-days.

There you go, apologies for the length. I'll work on ch 2. Comment please! thanks


	3. Dead End Again

So here's the next development in my little story - enter parents. I hope you like it. Don't forget to review so I can improve it, cause I know it still needs work. Thanks!

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Dean Winchester leaned against the shiny Impala, he face slack with disappointment. Another dead end. He'd felt so sure about this one too. He looked anxiously out of the corner of his eye at his wife. He was worried about her; she was getting too skinny, and her eyes didn't sparkle in the way he adored. Her hair was no longer shiny, but a lackluster blonde that hung limply around her sad face.

It had been eight years since their daughter had given herself up to the angels to save them. It still felt like yesterday, the pain still as intense as if she'd just walked out of the circle. Afterwords, Buffy had sobbed into his shoulders, still weak from the blood loss.

They'd called every contact, desperate to find their lost girl. Nothing had come up. Buffy threw herself into the job, hunting down every lead with a blazing determination that was inspiring to must hunters… but it was frightening to her husband. The Buffy he knew longed for an apple pie life, not one full of blood and death and loss - that was her childhood. But something had changed in her that fateful night when their entire world was snatched from them.

"You don't have to look at me like that, Dean. I'm okay." They both saw through the lie like it was made of glass. It would never be okay. Not with Cassie gone.

"I don't know what else to do, Buff. We can't just give up but-" he took a deep breath "I don't know where to go next. This was our last lead." He swiped at his damp eyes with a rough hand. The rage still burned in his gut - a bubbling brew that never died, only got stronger over time. The angels would pay for this, that's for sure.

"Have you talked to Cas?" She asked quietly, eyes glued to the horizon.

"I've tried. Damn it, Buff I've tried but all I get is silence." It was a long shot, they both knew that. But, being an angel, perhaps Cas knew the fate of their only child.

Buffy took his hand, lacing their fingers. There were no words. They sat silently beside the car, pining for their lost child… and planning revenge.

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So there it is. Please review!


	4. With You

The last leg! Please review, comment, or whatever floats your boat

Cassandra slouched against the dead car, phone book in hand. Staring at the open book, BOBBY SINGER'S SALVAGE YARD swam in front of her vision. She hadn't talked to her 'grandfather' since she was five years old, but it was a chance to find her parents - a chance she was willing to take. She swallowed the lump in her throat at the thought of them. Cassandra had long since given up putting up her walls, the emotion was too strong. She'd nearly forgotten them while she was with the angels. They had a way of persuading you to forget.

Shifting awkwardly as the phone rang, Cassandra contemplated retreat. But before she could put actions to her cowardly thoughts, a gruff voice asked "Yes?"

"Umm, Bobby Singer?" She questioned, biting her bottom lip - a quirk she'd unknowingly inherited from her mother. It had been so long, she didn't recognize his voice anymore.

"Depends on who's askin'." Bobby answered back suspiciously. Many people -or demons- wanted him. Perks of being a Hunter. She couldn't help but smile at the paranoid hunter's words. He was just as she remembered: gruff, paranoid, and took no bullshit.

"It's Cass-" But before she could finish, Bobby interrupted.

"Dammit, Cas, don't do that to me - I thought you were a demon! Who in hell are you possessing now? You sound like a little girl. Now leave her alone and get your feathered ass down here! We need your help finding-" White noise filled her ears, drowning out any other sound besides her galloping heart beat as it attempted to bust out of her chest. She tried to speak, but her throat clogged up, preventing her next words of explanation.

Castiel was alive? He was alive and he hadn't found her? Flicking her wrist angrily, she snapped the phone shut, cutting off the sound of her disgruntled grandfather. Cassandra chucked the phone deep into the woods next the the road, needing a channel for her anger. She kicked the car, ignoring the pain spiking through her boot-clad foot.

Turning away from the dented car, she let out a cry of anger. "Cas! God dammit, you asshole! Cas!" She yelled to the sky. Waiting, Cassandra crossed her arms, scowling at the dark clouds.

She sensed his mind before she saw his physical body; the fluttering of his wings behind her gave his position away. Her shoulders rose and fell in rage, her fists clenched so tight she felt blood ooze from her palms as her fingernails cut into her skin. "You're alive?" She hissed, snapping around to face him. "You were alive this entire damn time and you didn't help me?" He kept his eyes downcast, guilt weighing down on his shoulders.

"I am sorry." He whispered. That pushed her over the edge.

"Sorry? SORRY? Sorry doesn't cut it. You were alive and you never told me. I cried for you. I was in Heaven, but it felt more like Hell. Do you even know what your 'brothers' did to me?" she spat, her entire body vibrating with rage and hurt.

He hung his head. "I had to keep my survival a secret. It was important for the plan. I heard your cries and I wanted to save you, but if I had revealed my secret, all would be lost. All the work spying on them for information on the-" She rolled her eyes and snorted.

"Yeah, yeah the Apocalypse." She ignored his flinch. "I'm aware. If you didn't know, I was tortured to lead the damn ranks." Tears blurred her vision. "If you'd just told me…" She tapered off, voice tight. She glued her eyes to the grass, angry that she was so upset. But it had hurt _so_ much when he'd 'died'. He walked closer, dirty trenchcoat blowing in the wind. As he neared, her anger ebbed away like the tide. By the time he was inches from her all she wanted to do was hug him instead of wring his neck.

He opened up his mind to her, letting his thoughts and emotions wash over her. She decided not to mention the fact that she could easily just read it herself. His pain and guilt at her suffering… his rage at his brothers… his overwhelming joy for finding her and… something else, something warm and soft - tentative like a doe in the forest. Her eyes flashed with understanding.

"Cas," she murmured. He looked away, confused by the emotions swirling through him. This human vessel befuddled him most of the time; humans felt so much. He wasn't sure what he felt for the young Winchester, but he had an idea that if Dean found out, Cas would be in BIG trouble.

Without another word, she pulled him into a tight hug. **'I understand. But I can't think about it right now: I need to find my family. I know there was a plan to keep my whereabouts a secret, otherwise you would've told them. But plans change. Will you help me?'** She whispered softly in his mind.

"Yes. I'll take you to them now." He extended his hand out to her and she took it, excitement bubbling through her. The thrill of soaring through the sky filled her with joy. Being transported by angels always felt like she had her own wings, like she had freedom. It was a feeling she cherished. Cassandra closed her eyes with bliss, enjoying the sensation while it lasted.

She heard several gasps when Cas landed. She kept her eyes shut, terrified that it was all a dream until a hoarse voice whispered.

"Cassie?"

That's all, folks! :D


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